Welcome to the world of Loose Anagen Syndrome

If you're reading this, you're here because you probably have a child with LAS, or Loose Anagen Syndrome. Thank goodness that this syndrome is not harmful or fatal, but is only cosmetic in nature. But if you're the parent of a child (probably a little girl) with loose anagen syndrome, it can break your heart watching her struggle with it. That's the case with me. My sweet, beautiful 8 year old daughter, whom I will call Caroline in this blog, lives in a world where every girl has thick, luxurious, long hair. Caroline's two sisters have hair down their backs. LAS is always there to remind Caroline that she's different.

I knew for a long time that Caroline's hair wasn't "right." I scoured the web for information between 2005 and 2007, found the bare minimum of information on LAS but knew right away from the symptoms that Caroline had this syndrome. She was diagnosed by the simple act of a pediatric dermatologist examining Caroline's hair under a microscope. And, there was nothing to be done about it, no treatment to be had.

I created this blog because there is really no information out there. And I understand that; this is not cancer or a debilitating illness or disease. But perhaps my experience with and journey through this syndrome will serve to inform and help other parents help their kids deal with having "different" hair. In coming days and weeks, I'll post more detailed information, photos, and links to the best information I can find on the web, and continue to document Caroline's progression (or lack thereof!) and related issues (like self-esteem, etc.). I'd like to have readers (when there are some, someday) perhaps contribute some photos and/or stories of their own to share. See you soon.